Carolina Gonzalez

Professor Doutherd
English 5M
Literary Narrative

To be born a multilingual writer does not only signify that I am fortunate enough to speak
and understand two different languages and cultures, it also means that I had to confront and
overcome many hurdles to get to where I am today. I grew up in a Spanish speaking atmosphere,
and at a very young age I learned to speak, read, write, eat, breathe, sleep, and live in Spanish. It
came so naturally to me because of the literary sponsors that were available to me, and the same
thing applied when I learned the English language. Learning to adapt to the American style
was not much of a hassle, but just like every multilingual person, I had my hardships.
Learning and fully comprehending an unfamiliar language comes down to the sponsors.
Well what exactly is a sponsor? As Deborah Brandt explains it, Sponsorsare any agents, local,
or distant, concrete or abstract, who enable, support, teach, or model, as well as recruit, regulate,
suppress, or withhold literacyand gain advantage by it in some way (2). Growing up I was
exposed to numerous sponsors that expanded my knowledge of the Spanish and English
language and style. The Spanish language was more or less embedded into me. Every single
family member of mine spoke to me in Spanish, so reading and writing was a breeze. My
Spanish skills increased as I went to a catholic school as a child, and later on in high school when
I took AP Spanish and graduated with a biliteracy seal. Although I was already quite educated
about the style of the Spanish language, I reached further out to my sponsors and broadened my
education by reading and writing more in Spanish.
Adapting to the English language and the American style began with the sponsors that
were available to me in preschool. Each school year after that, I was exposed to and
comprehended more about the American style that was expected of us. With just the simple
practice of repeating the letters of the alphabet after my teacher, reading the famous Decodable
Books, and tracing over my name, my education of the English language grew stronger. I
remember in kindergarten my mom made up a matching card game of all the basic, yet important
parts of speech. We would play it every night before going to bed which flourished the basics of
English for me. She was also going to an adult school at the time, so we were learning together
which made it all so special. Overall, school was the basis of my mastery of English and is where
I attained my sponsors.
It became tedious for me to further adapt to the different style once I reached the sixth
grade. My teacher at the time told me that I had the potential to reach the advanced classes, but I
was held back from entering those advanced classes. This was due to the lack of my knowledge
and speed of reading and writing in English. It became even more difficult when I reached
middle school. It became coherent that I struggled with English style expected in school, it was
frustrating to feel overwhelmed by the challenges. I felt as if no matter what I did, I just could
not reach those expectations.

Being a multilingual writer is truly a gift to obtain in the real world, but it comes with its
weaknesses as well as its strengths. Being taught Spanish at an early age formed a hurdle to
adapt to a different style than the one expected in English speaking schools. What I learned in
catholic school was very distinct to the style expected in regular schools. As Dana Ferris explains
in What is a multilingual writer?, English is considered a writer responsible language
meaning that it is up to the writer to think about the knowledge and what is expected of the
audience. The writer has to communicate to the reader in a way that is clearly understandable.
Different from other languages and cultures, in American English it is presumed that it is not the
readers doing to endeavor with the writing until it is comprehended (Ferris 23).
Just like I did, many multilingual students have struggled with the process and challenges
of adapting to the American style of writing. Some of these challenges are the different styles
us multilingual students have, inadequate knowledge of the English vocabulary, and sentence
structure. Nonetheless, it is crucial to have an understanding of the expectations of American
colleges and the intended audience. This is introduced in the following quote, ...the student
should not be expected to change the way s/he writes in that other language or to change his/her
opinion about the best ways of writingit is important for ML writers to understand the
expectations of the American college audience and to adapt to them (Ferris 24). Some of these
expectations include writing in a writer-responsible language, addressing the assigned topic,
supporting ideas and opinions with evidence, and clearly communicating the purpose. Being in
high school and having to write in both languages was helpful in the aspect that my skill
strengthened in both, but it did cause some confusion switching styles back and forth.
The person, writer, reader, and multilingual student I am today is not the same one I was
years ago. Although I still face many struggles today, I have overcome many difficulties. From
being surrounded by only the Spanish language to now being in college and adapting to the
expectations, I have gained plenty of knowledge. Not only about the language but about myself
as well. The sponsors I received from school, home, and my surroundings have sculpted me and
built me up as a reader, writer, student, and person. Overall, being a multilingual student has
opened up many opportunities for me. Just because us multilingual students struggle more than
English speaking students, does not mean we are not opened to more jobs, skills, development,
and life opportunities. We are not any different from any other student.